Chinatown*
Chinatown is a dynamic negotiation board game where players engage in the strategic acquisition and development of city blocks to establish profitable businesses. It emphasizes trading and deal-making to succeed in a competitive urban landscape.
Gameplay Overview
- Business Development: Players acquire sections of city blocks and place business tiles on them.
- Income Generation: Each tile yields a payout, with completed businesses (comprising 3-6 connected tiles of the same type) offering higher returns.
- Resource Distribution: Resources, including business tiles and locations, are distributed randomly, necessitating strategic trading among players.
Special Features
- Negotiation Focus: The core of the game lies in negotiating trades to acquire matching businesses and adjacent block sections.
- Economic Strategy: Players must balance tile placement, business completion, and negotiation to maximize their earnings.
Conclusion
Chinatown offers a compelling blend of strategy, negotiation, and resource management. It's ideal for players who enjoy games with a heavy emphasis on player interaction and deal-making, set against the backdrop of urban development.
Nominated for 3 awards.
- ๐ฅ 3 - 5 Players
- โฑ๏ธ 60 Minutes
- ๐ง 12+ years old
- ๐งฉ Easy to learn
Video reviews, ratings, Let's Plays and tests for Chinatown
We like Chinatown so much that we recommend it in the following board game recommendation lists 2026
- Position 2 in All "Deutscher Spielepreis๐ฉ๐ช 1999" game award winners & nominees in comparison
- Position 1 in All "Spiel des Jahres๐ฉ๐ช 1999" game award winners & nominees in comparison
- Position 10 in Best games released at SPIEL 2008 in Essen
- Position 5 in Best games where victory points are used as a resource
- Position 9 in Best games where you can enclose areas
- Position 5 in Best games where you can make deals with other players
- Position 26 in The best board games from the 20th century๐
- Position 21 in The best board games of the 90s
- Position 2 in The Best Board Games with Architects
- Position 22 in The best city building games ๐
- Position 25 in The best economic games ๐
- Position 8 in The Best Games from Alea ๐ฉ๐ช๐ข
- Position 13 in The Best Games from Heidelberger Spieleverlag ๐ฉ๐ช๐ข
- Position 10 in The Best Games from Z-Man Games Inc. ๐บ๐ธ๐ข
- Position 9 in The best games in which you can enclose a territory or area
- Position 5 in The best games released in 1999๐
- Position 3 in The best games set in the city of New York in the USA ๐บ๐ธ
- Position 5 in The best games where victory points can be used as a resource
- Position 3 in The best games where you can invest in objects
- Position 5 in The best games where you can make agreements with other players
- Position 7 in The best games where you can trade ๐
- Position 13 in The best games with an income
- Position 12 in The best negotiation games ๐ค
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